Plate-type apparatus



Aug. 19, 1941. w, CROSBY. 2,252,916

PLATE-TYPE APPARATUS Filed March 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. E.CROSBY yInventor A ttorneyg,

g- 9, w. E. CROSBY PLATETYPE APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 20,1939 I Inventor W. E CROSBY Patented Aug. 19, 1941 2,252,916 PLATE-TYPEAPPARATUS William Edward Crosb y, Point Pleasant, Wandsworth, London,England, assignor to The Alu- Britlsh company Application March 20,1939, Serial No.

minum Plant & Vessel Company Limited, Point Pleasant, Wandswo l'th,London, England, a

In Great Britain May 30. 1 938 9 Claims.

This invention relates to plate type heat exchangers, filter presses andlike apparatus built up of a plurality of juxtaposed plate members orplate member and frame members.

The invention is more particularly concerned with apparatus of the typereferred to in which the plate members or the plate members and theframe members are supported in position on or by a pair of horizontallydisposed bars one of which may be arranged at the upper end of the saidmembers and the other at the lower end of said members. Usually in suchapparatus, each member is provided with an apertured lug at its upperend and with a slotted lug at its lower end so that the members can bethreaded over and suspended from the upper bar with their lower lugsresting on or extending over the bottom bar.

The chief object of the present invention is to simplify the means forsupporting the said members so that they may be more readily removedfrom the heat exchanger, filter-press or the like when necessary and yetwill not fall out of their own accord.

According to the invention the apertured lugs provided at one end of thesaid members are slotted or formed with cut-away portions extendingoutwardly from the aperture to the periphery of the lug and the upperbar or one of the bars is shaped or formed over at least a part of itslength to enable the slotted lug of the member to be removed to bedetached therefrom as, for example, by sliding the same laterally of thebar.

In order that the said invention may be clearly' understood and readilycarried into effect, the same will now be more fully described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figs. 1 and 2illustrate two modes of forming the lugs at the upper ends of platemembers or frame members.

Figs. 3 and 4 are explanatory views showing the procedure adopted forremoving from a heat exchanger or filter-press plate members or framemembers provided with lugs of the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2; andFigs. 5, 6 and '7 Illustrate further alternative modes of carrying theinvention into effect.

According to the form of the invention illus- ;rated by Fig. 1, the lug2 provided at the upper and of a plate or frame member of a heat ex-:hanger or filter press is formed, at the part hereof which is normallydisposed above the lpper supporting bar 8 of the heat exchanger orfilter press, with a slot 4 of a width which is less than the diameterof the said bar and at a convenient point along its length the bar isreduced in cross section as, fun-example, by forming the same with twodiametrically opposite fiat portions 5 spaced from one another adistance which is less than the width of the said slot, the saidflattened portions being disposed horizontally or in some othernon-ver-- tical position.

Alternatively, the slot 4 may, as indicated in Fig. 2, be provided at apart of the apertured lug which is normally disposed to one side of theupper bar so that the upper end of the plate or frame member has ahook-like formation, Also, the part of the bar of reduced cross sectionmay then be formed by two vertically or obliquely disposed fiat portions5.

At their lower ends, the plate or frame members are preferably formedwith slotted lugs 8, which rest on or extend over the bottom bar 9 ofthe heat exchanger or filter press.

In order to'remove a plate member or frame member formed as describedfrom a heat exchanger or filter press, the said member is first tiltedor swung away from the other elements of the apparatus into a positionsuch as that illustrated by the member a in Fig. 3, in which the forkedportions of the lug 8 are free to move laterally of the lower bar 9.Thereafter it is slid along the top bar 3, until the slot 4 and the partof the bar of reduced cmss section register with one another and swungupwardly about the bar (as indicated, for example, by the arrow b inFig. 4) until, by longitudinal displacement of .the said member in thedirection of the arrow 0 in Fig. 4, it can be freed from the supportingbar. If desired, the bar 3 may be formed with a plurality of, portionsof reduced cross sectional area.- Forexample, as shown in Fig. 3, it maybe provided with two such portions as indicated at e and f. In someinstances, it may be undesirable, from a practical standpoint, to use asupporting bar with parts thereof permanently removed therefrom toprovide portions of reduced cross-sectional area and, in such cases, theremoved part or parts corresponding in shape with the shape of theremoved parts may be used as detachable pads which are normally screwedor otherwise secured in position on the parts of reduced crosssection togive the bar a substantially constant cross-section and which can beremoved therefrom when it is necessary to uncover the part of reducedcross sectional area for the purpose of enabling a plate or the like tobe, removed.

Also, in some instances, instead of forming the supporting bar 3 withone or more portions of reduced cross sectional such as are provided bythe flattened portions described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, thebar may be formed so that it is non-circular, e. g., elliptical, incross section over the whole or a part of its length. Examples of sucharrangements are illustrated in Figs. and 6, the parts beingproportioned so that a plate or frame member to be removed can bedetached from the bar by swinging it laterally slot 4 is opposite aportion of the bar of reduced thickness and then displacing the samelongitudinally.

Also, in some instances, the reduction in the cross section of thesupporting bar may be obtained by forming in the bar an annular orarcuate groove. For example, as is illustrated by Fig. '7, the bar 3 maybe formed with one or more longitudinally extending grooves l5 whichterminate or merge into an annular or arcuate groove l6 and the lug 2may be formed with an inwardly extending projection or projections l8engaging the groove or grooves IS, the arrangement being such that aplate member or the like can be detached by sliding it along the baruntil the groove IB is reached and then displacing the samelongitudinally.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to use withapparatus provided with upper and lower bars for supporting the elementsor plates and that it is also applicable to apparatus in which theelements, plates or frames are adapted to be supported in position onbars arranged in the same or substantially the same horizontal plane. I

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the builtup plate type for I the treatment of fluids,comprising a supporting bar, a plurality of plate-like elements, andvalug on each element adapted to receive the supporting bar, said lugbeing slotted to provide a mouth for the opening, said mouth being of awidth'less than the major cross-sectional dimension of the bar toprevent the removal of the bar through the mouth, and said bar having aportion of a cross-section less than the width of the mouth adapted tofreely pass through the mouth.

2. An apparatus of the built-up plate type for the treatment of fluids,comprising a round supporting bar, a plurality of plate-like elements,and a lug on each element adapted to'receive the supporting bar, saidlug being slotted to 'provide a mouth for the opening, said mouth beingof a width less than the major cross-sectional dimension of the bar toprevent the removal of the bar through the mouth, and said bar having aportion of a cross-section less than the width of the mouth adapted tofreely pass through the mouth.

3. An apparatus of the built-up plate type for the treatment of fluids,comprising a round supporting bar, a plurality of plate-like elements,and a lug on each element adapted to receive the supporting bar, saidlug being slotted to provide a mouth for the opening, said mouth beingabout the bar until the of a width less than the major cross-sectionaldimension of the bar to prevent the removal of the bar through themouth, and said bar having two diametrically opposed flat portionsspaced apart a distance less than the width of said mouth adapted tofreely pass through the mouth.

4. An apparatus according to claim 10, in which X the supporting bar isreduced in cross-section by the formation therein of an annular groove.

5. An apparatus of the built-up plate type for the treatment of fluids,comprising a round supporting bar, a plurality of plate-like elements,8. lug on each element adapted to receive the supporting bar, said lugbeing slotted to provide a mouth for the opening, said mouth being of awidth less than the major cross-sectional dimension of the bar toprevent the removal of'the bar through the mouth, said bar having alongitudinally extending groove formed therein, and a projectioncarried'by said lug and extending into said longitudinal groove, andsaid bar further having a portion of reduced cross-section to enable thebar to pass freely by said projection.

6-. An apparatus of the built-up plate type for the treatment of fluids,comprising a round supporting bar, a plurality of plate-like elements, a

lug on each element adapted to receive the supporting bar, said lugbeing slotted to provide a mouth for the opening, saidmouth being of awidth less than the major cross-sectional dimension of the bar toprevent the removal of the bar through the mouth, said bar having alongitudinally extending groove formed therein, and a projection carriedby said lug and extending into said longitudinal groove, and said bar,having an annular groove merging into the longitudinal groove to enablethe barlto pass freely through the mouth of the lug and by saidprojection.

7. An apparatus for the treatment of fluids, comprising a pair of spacedparallel bars, a plurality, of plate-likeelements, lugs on oppositeedges of said elements, each lug having an open-- ing therein to receiveone of said bars, the mouth of the opening of one of said lugs being ofa width at least equal to the diameter of the bar to be received therebyto provide for the movement of the bar into and out of said openingthrough the mouth thereof, the mouth of the opening of the other of saidlugs being of a width less than the diameter of the bar to be receivedthereby, and said lastmentioned bar having portions of reducedcross-section to provide for the move ment of the bar into and out ofthe opening through the mouth thereof. 7 v

8. An apparatus of the built-up plate type for the treatment of fluids,comprising a supporting bar, a plurality of plate-like elements, a lugon each element adapted to receive the supporting bar, said lug beingslotted to provide a mouth for the opening, said mouth being of a widthless than the major cross-sectional dimension of the bar to prevent theremoval of the bar through the mouth, and said bar having a portion of across-section less than the width of the mouth adapted to freely passthrough the mouth, a second bar parallel to said supporting bar, and alug on the opposite edge of each plate-like element having an openingfor receiving said second bar.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which the'bar is elliptical incross-section.

WILLIAM EDWARD CROSBY.

